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18 Feb 2010

Willie O’Dea gate vote by Irish Greens

They continue to embarrass Greens and Irish citizens across the entire planet.

The article was written by Green Party member and barrister Vincent P Martin.

"FF Minister for Defense Willie O’Dea has damaged our democratic process in three distinct ways: he has falsely maligned a candidate in an election; he has given false evidence to the High Court upon which it relied; and thirdly, and perhaps most damning of all, he has declared from the Dáil, the very centre of our democracy, that his conduct is perfectly acceptable and that those who would take him to task are hypocrites.

I am saddened both as a lawyer and member of the Green Party, but perhaps mostly as a citizen, that last night the Dáil supported a motion of confidence in Willie O’Dea. There was something pathetic about it all, a mean-spirited loyalty to colleague over country, a reinforcement of the sense of them and us, an overarching and deep feeling that once again the lowest standard wins the day.

The Green Party stands for more. We must be true to ourselves regardless of the consequences. The alternative is to become what we hate."

"Never mind the Opposition allegations of perjury: “you can’t prove nuttin” was the measured defence from senior counsel Brian Lenihan on his colleague’s behalf. There was no attempt from anybody to deny that their Willie had been caught, bang to rights, spreading malicious rumours about a political rival. In fact, as the Dáil debated a hastily arranged confidence vote in O’Dea, the Government appeared to view the entire exercise as a joke. Then the utterly unrepentant O’Dea had the cheek to finish his outrageous contribution with a plea for “some level of propriety and fairness.

Eamon Ryan looked like he was going to burst into tears.

Meanwhile, the Greens continue to cover themselves in glory. After the vote, Senator Dan unburdened himself on his Twitter page. “Not happy with what happened today. Believe we bounced into supporting motion. Next week would have been fine . . . As regards to Minister O’Dea, I don’t have confidence in him. His situation is compromised. Probably be a few chapters in this story yet.